


Bruised Machines

by nartes



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: 900Gavin, Crime Solving, Gavin900, M/M, Near Death Experiences, No Beta, Police Procedural, Post Game, Post canon, We Die Like Men, actually you know what, android fixing, hankcon - Freeform, highkey slowburn, i just want rk900 and Gavin interactions, injured on the case, lowkey slowburn, side ship: - Freeform, slowburn, they're in the background just being together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-05-29 22:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15083561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nartes/pseuds/nartes
Summary: After the revolution, the androids attempt to integrate themselves into human society. CyberLife released the remaining models they owned before relinquishing control to Markus and his gang. One of the RK900 models found themselves in the Detroit police department. Gavin isn’t pleased.





	1. The Hit

_You have got to be fucking kidding me._

Gavin stared up at the figure looming over his desk, his mouth open slightly in disbelief and eyebrows furrowed in mock confusion. “Lost, dolly?”

The precinct was usually pretty empty these days as after the revolution many officers had quit; those who remained were often overworked and sent out to tackle the increase in crime. However, due to the lack of staff, the department had taken on the androids that were designed for the role and needed work. Gavin hated this but most of them had been staying out of his way, his android-hating reputation preceding him. Until now.  
  
The android took a step closer to the detective’s desk. “Hello Detective Reed, I’m the RK900 model sent by Cyberlife. Captain Fowler has assigned me to be your partner.” Gavin leaned back in his chair and scoffed. What the fuck did he do to deserve this? He worked so hard to rise through the ranks only to get paired with this fucker. A fucker that looked almost identical to Hank’s plastic pet. Gavin got out of his chair and stood face to face with the android. Although it looked like Connor with the same face, the same three moles on his left cheek that made a triangle and the same stupid hair with the tuft that always stuck out over its forehead, it was taller, wore a stupid uniform with a weird collar that covered its neck, and had bright blue eyes that were unsettling when compared to Connor’s deep brown ones. He spat in its face.  
“I’m not going to be your babysitter; Fowler can suck a dick if he thinks I’m going through with this. I work best alone, end of.” Without giving a chance for the android to reply, he grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and left the android standing there.

~

“Fowler, what on earth were you thinking?” Gavin yelled as he pushed open the glass doors into the captain’s office. The older man was startled, dropping his pen onto the paperwork he was in the process of filling out. “There is no way I am working with that plastic excuse for a human. What on earth was going through your head when you sent it my way?”  
Gavin’s hands slammed down onto the desk, his chest heaving up and down and nostrils flaring. Fowler relaxed in his chair and folded his arms. “So I see you’ve already met our latest recruit.”  
“Answer my fucking question. You know I’m better on cases alone, and even if a case needed extra personnel then Miller or Chen would be a more suitable partner than that fucking thing,” he gritted out before harshly pointing towards his desk where the RK900 model stood.  
Fowler sighed and brought his chair back closer to his desk. “You see Reed,” he took a deep breath before meeting Gavin’s stormy expression, “your attitude is why I paired you two together. There’s a new act in place requiring newly working androids to be paired with a human to help them integrate better into our society.”  
Gavin pushed back from the desk and crossed his arms, head shaking while he licked his lips. “We live in a society…”  
Ignoring Gavin’s comment, Fowler carried on. “I know your stance on androids but I hope working alongside one will help improve your attitude towards them. Also,” Fowler beckoned Gavin closer, “this model is different. He hasn’t… awakened yet.”  
Gavin tilted his head and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He turned to look at the android they were discussing through the glass, his eyebrows knitted. It’s true that something was off with it, the way it obediently stood by Gavin’s desk, back straight and taking calculated movements as it flicked through a magazine he left on his desk. Occasionally its eyes would dart around the room, probably analysing everything there is. It was unlike the deviants that he saw daily, they did what they wanted with a more relaxed posture; they had no orders to obey. “Are you telling me,” he started, “that it will still obey the orders I give?” Fowler followed his gaze. “To an extent. He’s programmed to complete tasks assigned to him that will help solve the case he’s on. How likely he is to fulfil your commands probably depends on the relevance it has to the task at hand and how he views you.” Fowler picked up his pen. “Now if you don’t mind, I have work to get back to.”  
Gavin bit his tongue, knowing when he was dismissed. He stalked over to the door, his hand grasping the cool metal handle. Before he opened it, he turned to say one last thing but was cut off. “Don’t set fire to him.” Gavin huffed and left the office.

~

It didn’t take long for him to reach his desk again, but sometime during his walk he must have looked away as he currently found his seat occupied by the tall machine.  
“What the fuck are you doing in my chair?” Gavin scoffed as he grabbed the android and spun it to face him. “I’m sorry, detective,” it replied before getting up, “I simply needed easier access to your screen in order to access the database and to create a link so that I can be informed of new crimes. Next time I shall inform you of my intended actions and wait for your consent if that is what would please you.” Gavin took a step back. The android almost looked… sorry for itself? Its shoulders had hunched ever so slightly and it’s gaze had lowered, as if it was ashamed of what he had done. He felt an ache in his chest.  
  
“Come back to my place.”

This request had shocked them both, the android’s LED circling yellow and Gavin’s eyebrows raising as his eyes widened. “I- I- I mean- if you want to that is like it’s not an order or anything just it may be nice- well not _nice_ but like it probably beats standing around here or going back to Cyberlife to be in a pod or something and I have the rest of the day off so uh I don’t know but um yeah.”  
_Wow. Real smooth Gavin 10/10._ He shook his head before dragging his hand over his face, brushing over his stubble as he avoided eye contact with RK900.  
“I will accept your offer,” it replied after a while, making Gavin jump a little. “As you said, you have the rest of the day off so we are not required in the precinct and it would be beneficial to find out more about you, detective, in order to improve our relationship which will positively affect the efficiency of our work.” It smiled. _It fucking smiled at him._

He couldn’t help smiling back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the bad summary and I hope you guys enjoy this fic as I haven’t written for like 5 years whOOPS anyway if you find any errors or have any criticisms please leave it in the comments below :)


	2. Marked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A home holds many secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *thrusts as many meme references as I can into the fic* this is valid content, right?

Gavin slipped into the driver’s seat, pulling on his seatbelt and starting the engine as he waited for his new partner to join him in the car. His fingers tapped the wheel impatiently, the warm feelings he had for the android already fading. The lack of control he had over his emotions was concerning him and he desperately tried to cling to the asshole image he had so perfectly crafted. He-  _it_  - just looked so vulnerable, so unlike the cold calculating machine it should be. Slowly starting to regret his invitation, he thought back on the logic the android used - this was a chance to improve their relationship and in turn work, right? If the android was going to learn something about him, he was sure as hell going to find out more about the tall fucker. 

As if it had sensed Gavin’s thoughts, RK900 closed the passenger door after settling into the car. Gavin shifted in his seat to face the android. “The fuck took you so long?”

“I was notifying the department that we’re leaving.”

He stared at it. “Bro, they know I’m done for the day, you don’t need to tell them.” The RK900 model didn’t reply, and Gavin took this as a cue to hit the road. The pair were stuck in a tense silence, neither knowing what to say next. Focusing on the road ahead, Gavin took note of the increase in abandoned houses, characterised by the build-up of snow in the driveways and slurs graffitied onto every surface. He thought about how stupid the evacuation order had been, as if Detroit was the only place were androids were going rogue. As if anywhere else was safer than here. 

“I would have assumed you owned an older model of car.” The mechanical voice jerked Gavin from his thoughts. 

“Psh, by the time I could drive CyberLife was spitting out new technologies left right and centre so I figured I should get one of their eco-friendly cars - I’m not that much of an asshole to not care for the environment.” His thumb rubbed the wheel. “Besides, this shit was more affordable than a Tesla or those other brands.” 

They fell into a silence again, but fortunately they were just around the corner from Gavin’s apartment. He pulled into the closest parking space and quickly got out, his hands starting to fumble around for his keys. They made their way up to the second floor and walked down the hall to find a door and a mat with the word ‘leave’ printed on in bold black letters. 

After a few shoves, the unlocked door finally gave way to reveal the apartment. Gavin kicked a box to the side and chucked the keys into a bowl placed nearby. “Excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting anyone to come over.” He continued down the hallway, moving various items to the side to create a path. Seemingly out of nowhere, a tabby cat dashed past and went into one of the rooms. 

“Oh don’t mind Parker, he just does his own shit. If you don’t bother him he won’t bother you.” RK turned to follow the cat. “Yeah make yourself at home but don’t touch my stuff,” Gavin called out over his shoulder as he entered one of the other rooms.

The cat lead RK into the living room and he could tell Gavin wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t expect anyone. There was a cluster of items on one of the couches, ranging from opened packages to coats. Shoes were scattered about the place, the only pair he could match were on opposite sides of the room. This seemed odd to the android as upon entry he saw a shoe rack and coat hangers by the entrance, why Gavin didn’t make use of them was anyone’s guess. He decided to sit on the other couch that had remained clear in order to get closer to the cat he followed. “Hello Parker, I’m the RK900 model sent by CyberLife in order to work with your owner.” He held out his hand, and the cat sniffed it. Parker gagged. The android’s LED swirled yellow as the cat jumped down and left the room. They say that pets are often like their owner. 

A few moments passed before Gavin threw himself onto the sofa, shirt changed and legs landing in RK’s lap. It’s arms immediately grabbed hold and tried to throw him off but he pushed back, legs fighting to stay pressed against the android. He smirked at the petty battle, his desire to win and assert dominance feeding his efforts. His smirk was soon turned into a grunt as he was thrown onto the floor.

“What the fuck, you’re not allowed hurt people!”

“Are you hurt?”

“No, but-“

“Then it’s fine.” 

He huffed in annoyance before pushing himself off the floor. Arms crossing and uncrossing, he shifted foot to foot before pushing his finger into the machine’s chest. “Make me a coffee, I expect it to be ready before I come back from the loo.” Not waiting to hear the confirmation, he left the room. RK900’s LED flashed red, but a new objective appeared on his to-do list. He had no choice but to follow the order, his mission to improve their relationship needing to be successful. 

When he entered the kitchen, he made a quick scan to locate the items needed. This was the only location in the apartment that was open-spaced but was hidden from the main hallway by a wall. Counters lined the edges in a c formation, presumably to give the user a greater workspace. The sink was on his right, surrounded by stained mugs. In fact, every surface was littered with drinking utensils, the only evidence that he actually ate was a used plate on the centre island. The guy seriously had a problem. RK900 soon got to work, finding a clean mug in one of the cupboards and setting it next to the coffee maker, located opposite the sink, which he downloaded a user manual for. He filled the carafe part way with cold water and also filled the reservoir before returning the carafe to the heating plate. Opening up the pot containing the blend, he measured out five tablespoons to put in the reservoir as he recalled Gavin liked his coffee strong. Finally, he closed the lid and turned on the coffee maker. Since it took a while to brew, he decided to use his time efficiently and checked the living room once again for information on the detective. He used his crime scene analysis software to identify key features, the time in the corner of his vision counting down until the coffee was done. There was an unopened pack of cigarettes on the centre table hidden under some comics, the part that was exposed was covered in a fine layer of dust. On the wall there was what he at first presumed to be a police portrait of Gavin, but upon closer inspection he saw the age on the photo and man, dispelling his theory. He filed these items under ‘things to ask Gavin about.’ Spying a large cat bed in the corner, he moved closer to find traces of hair belonging to three separate cats. One of them he could identify as Parker, the tabby, but he couldn’t match the black Persian or the mink ragamuffin so he presumed they must be hidden away or outdoors. Before he could move on to find out more about his new partner, a ten-second warning flashed in his vision. 

 _I suppose I’ve got to postpone this investigation_ he thought to himself as he got up to make Gavin’s coffee. He grabbed the carafe and poured the coffee into the mug, the rest he set aside in case the detective wanted another. Milk and three sugars were also added in an attempt to recreate Gavin’s usual preferences. After setting the coffee on the only clean part of the island, he grabbed one of the magazines left scattered about the place and settled into one of the high chairs, his momentum causing the chair to turn and face the main hallway. His fingers swiped through the articles, none of them containing new information but it still helped to see what Gavin was interested in. Page after page was centred on android crimes, the ones visited most often described in vivid detail how they were taken apart. His fingers clenched around the magazine, releasing when he heard the sound of feet heading his way.

“What took you so long?” The android forced a smile as it looked up, using the comment made earlier to divert Gavin's attention so it could slip the magazine away from sight.

Gavin smiled back with a scoff. “You’re just a machine, I bet you wouldn’t get what humans do in the loo.” RK900 schooled its facial expression to display neutrality, and gestured to the mug of coffee that was slowly getting cold. “Oh… uh thanks,” he said as he brought the coffee to his lips. The bitterness of the roast was contrasted with the sweet sugar, the milk making the drink taste  _fuller_  in a way, rather than just bean water. It was… perfect. “How did you-” 

“At the precinct I took an analysis of the coffee cups in your bin in order to determine your preferences. I figured it would come in useful seeing as we’re working together and your unhealthy addiction to the substance.” 

 “That’s not weird at all…” he trailed off, a hint of disgust yet also admiration in his tone. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Gavin said a moment later, sliding into the chair opposite, “how come you’re not a deviant?” 

“I was made after the rise in deviancy; therefore CyberLife could add immunity to the virus. It would take a lot to break me.” 

“That’s so sad, big Connor play Despacito,” Gavin muttered as a response. The android stiffened. He was aware of the RK800’s – Connor’s – existence, but he didn’t see how he could be dubbed ‘big Connor’ as even though he was taller and from the same series, they were not the same machine. And the request seemed-

Before he could short circuit, an alert flashed before him. “Detective Reed, I’ve just been informed of a new case. We need to leave immediately.”

“What? It’s like 7 pm and I’m off duty, why do they need us?”

“This particular case requires a human-android partnership and my advanced skill set is desired.”

“So they want the machine and not the cop, I see,” he whispered to himself before pulling out his phone and looking up at RK900. “All right hang on, I’m downloading some Eminem for the ride.” 

RK900 just stared at him.

Upon seeing its reaction, Gavin raised his middle fingers with a grin and yelled, “yeah I listen to Eminem even though there are so many swear words, I don’t fucking care.”

It seemed as though they would never understand each other.


	3. Damaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and RK900 go to their first crime scene together.

During the ride to the crime scene it had started to rain, the weather not cold enough to promise snow. It fell down in slick sheets, pounding against the windows of the car and forming streams into gutters. While they were on the way, RK900 informed Gavin about the crime that had taken place at the abandoned motel, a passerby called in at 7 pm to report unusual sounds coming from one of the rooms. The rain followed them to the motel, the officers milling about the place either getting soaked to the bone or standing under shelter provided by umbrellas and canopies. After pulling up to the curb, the duo made their way to the front of the derelict motel where most of the commotion was. “Fucking forgot my umbrella, didn’t I,” Gavin mumbled to himself as he dug his hands deep into his jacket’s pockets and hunched his shoulders. He was going to pull his hood up, but the cotton material would only make his situation worse. Click. The rain had stopped trickling down his face and he glanced up to find a black umbrella shielding him. To his right, he saw RK900 straight-faced and looking ahead, umbrella poised only above Gavin. 

“Why-”

“Before we left I checked the weather report and saw the high chances of precipitation so I took the umbrella that you left by the coat rack. I saw earlier that you didn’t keep one in your car and therefore I figured that I should bring it for your benefit,” the android paused, before adding on, “besides, you would contaminate the crime scene if you were dripping in rainwater. I am fortunate enough to be installed with an auto-dry feature.”

“And here I was about to thank you for your kindness,” Gavin mumbled as they reached the crowd. They pushed past, shoulder hitting shoulder as they ignored the complaints made in order to reach the front where the yellow holographic police tape was. “Detective Reed,” Gavin announced to the officer on guard as he held up his badge, “and this is the plastic prick I’m stuck with.” He chuckled with the officer, finding humour in the unspoken taunts of Gavin being paired with an android – something he was famous for hating. RK900 showed no response. What a bore. Together they made their way up the metal steps, their heavy footfall accompanying the gentle drum of the rain, reaching the third storey where they found room 281. Ben Collins was waiting outside, ordering about some of the newer recruits.  _But if Ben’s here, then that means… oh no._ Murder scene aside, Gavin focused on the distinct figures of Anderson and his fuck toy Connor when they entered the room.  

“Lieutenant Anderson, surprised to see you here. I was under the impression your little, uh, stunt with Perkins cost you your badge.” 

Hank turned from where he was currently examining the scene, his annoyance clear on his face. “And I thought you hated androids, yet here we are.” From the other side of the bed, Connor popped up. “To answer your misunderstanding, detective Reed, the lieutenant was merely suspended for a week. The years of service he has under his belt and the strain on staff meant he could come back to work.” Connor beamed. 

“Thanks, Connor,” Hank sighed with a small smile before fully giving his attention to Gavin. “We’ve done a quick look over the scene; Connor can update your bot on what we found and if you find anything new just give us a shout.”  He grabbed hold of Connor and moved off to the corner of the room, probably discussing any theories that they had about the case. 

 

Now that Hank and a couple other officers were out of the way, Gavin finally had a full view of the scene. Sprawled out on the bed was a woman, probably in her late thirties, only dressed in her underwear and sports bra. There was blue blood decorating her body, the lines across her joints mimicking android architecture and a circle on her temple resembled the LEDs they owned. He stepped closer and saw a wide clean slit on her throat – most likely the cause of death. Poised above her was a younger man, legs straddling her waist and hands wrapped around her throat. If he didn’t know any better, he would have assumed they were getting it on and enjoyed a bit of rough play. 

“The woman’s name is Rachel Harbour, born in 2000 and presumed to be dead for over two hours now,” RK900 started to reel off the facts, his expression unchanged. “The MP500 domestic male model above her, named Sam, was in her possession and they remained together even after the revolution.” Upon closer inspection, Gavin saw that he recognised the model from a store, back when they were still being sold, but since it was missing its LED it was no wonder he first mistook it for a human. Also, he didn’t tend to look at people’s junk so that’s why he missed the ken-doll look it was sporting down there.  His gaze travelled up the inhumanly smooth torso, landing on the huge hole. He knew there was supposed to be a thirium pump, the module that is crucial for keeping them alive.  Considering that the ‘heart’ had been ripped out, there was a surprising lack of blue blood. He pulled on a glove and traced the rim of the hole, his fingers getting stuck on some sort of card.  _That’s got to be bagged as evidence later_. After he was done examining the chest, he took off his glove and looked up. Finally getting a proper look at the face, he saw that the eyes had been painted over with red blood. “Hey big Connor,” he motioned for his partner to come closer, “do we know whose blood this is?” It leaned over his shoulder for a better look, the positioning of the victims making things awkward. “I do have information from Connor’s samples but,” it paused for a moment, processing whether it should continue with its current line of thought, “due to my advanced skills, I’d be able to offer greater results.” 

“Knock yourself out.”

Its hand shot out, two fingers ready to take a sample of the blood. They swiped clinically over the victim’s eyes. Red blood now dripping from its hand, it made direct eye contact with Gavin before inserting the fingers into its mouth.  _Fuck me. I need to have a serious word with Kamski._  “So,” he stuttered after audibly gulping, “what did you, uh, find out?” 

RK900 stood back up, taking a white rag out from its jacket and cleaned its fingers. “The blood belongs to Rachel Harbour; her blood alcohol levels were extremely high at the time of extraction. It is suggested that she lost a lot of blood quickly as there is a deficiency in the platelet count. Excessive blood loss is also characterised by paleness and, well,” it glanced at Rachel’s body, “she certainly is white.” 

He took a step back, viewing the scene again with this new information. His shoe accidentally knocked against a bottle that had seemingly rolled out from under the bed, and his gaze followed the path it would have taken to find a collection by the TV stand.  _Now, what did a couple about to fuck have to do with a bunch of alcohol?_

“They weren’t in love.” He nudged the bottles again with his foot, making them clink together. “It reeks of booze in here, and I don’t think it’s just the Lieutenant” Hank was about to retaliate but he was cut off. “Seems like they had to drink to get it up, and my money isn’t on the Android.”

He went back towards the bed, possibilities crowding his mind. Rachel could have been hesitant about this rendezvous, drinking to get into the mood. In anger, the droid could have strangled her, believing that she should have loved him. But it doesn’t explain how it died as well, especially in this position with blood on its eyes. This entire situation was off.

“Has anyone checked under the bed for more bottles?” The people on the scene just shrugged, many of them avoiding his gaze. “Fucking have to do everything myself,” he grumbled. “Big head,” he snapped, finger pointing at RK900, “go check under the bed, I’m going to bag the card in the android’s chest.” 

 

It all happened so fast. When he yanked out the card it caused the android to move forwards, its jaw dropping, causing an insane amount of red blood to cascade from its mouth. At the same time, RK900’s squatting body was pushed from its position next to the bed as something crawled out and bolted to the exit.

He had no time to think. He tore off after the figure, his partner hot on his heels. The only thing he could focus on was the blood pounding in his ears and the thud of feet on the metal walkway. The rain had finally cleared but the sky threatened to bring a storm, thunder crackling in the distance. As he got closer, he could see that it was an android, synthetic skin partially deactivating and re-activating across his body, giving a weird fluid vitiligo affect as it couldn’t even decide on a skin tone. Its ripped white shorts rustled as it ran, the red cross on his shoulders as part of its old uniform faintly pulsing red. It would have made sense for the android to go down the stairs once they reached it, but instead it decided to up towards the roof. Gavin was about to follow, but he spotted an emergency pole that would give him a faster route as there were still several flights of rounded stairs to go up. Ignoring his partner’s shouts of protest, he grabbed hold and hoisted himself up, thanking his past self for actually being good at sports and taking care of his body.

 

Several pulls and shuffles later, he was able to grab hold of the fence surrounding the roof. After swinging his legs over, he judged where the best place to interpret the android would be before running there. He must have gone wrong in his calculations somewhere as the next thing he knew he was colliding with the android, its hands taking hold of his jacket and raising him above the fence. His feet pressing against the flimsy bars was the only thing keeping him from completely hanging over the edge. “Calm down,” Gavin ordered in a shaky voice, his arms rising in surrender. “You don’t need to do this. We can take you back to the station to explain yourself, murdering another human would make your situation worse.”

The android’s eyes widened, its mouth opening but only a horrible garbled sound coming out. In response Gavin winced, closing his eyes and pressing his hands against his ears. 

 

He missed RK900 reaching them. He missed the suspect dropping him in order to slide down the same pole Gavin used to safety. He missed the split-second decision his partner had to make. All he felt was his body slipping over the fence, his body angling downwards as he started to fall. Panic rose in his chest, and he felt a force pressing down, squeezing him. He opened his eyes, not wanting to miss the moment he finally died.

Instead of seeing the dark stormy sky, he was face to face with his partner. Strong hands were braced against his back and chest, keeping him in a firm hold. He realised that he was no longer hanging off the edge, he was safe, and he could finally let out a shaky breath. A few moments passed before he started to feel uncomfortable, his arms trapped to his sides and feet slightly off the ground. “Uh, RK, you can let go of me now. I’m all good.” 

The android released him from its grip and took a step back, giving Gavin some space. “Your heart rate was elevated, which is expected after a near-death experience. I was waiting until it returned to a safe and normal value.” It turned and started to head towards the exit, not checking whether he was following or not. “We need to report back to Detective Collins, he’ll update Captain Fowler on the situation.” Gavin sulked behind it, hands finding themselves in the comfort of his pockets.  _Trust an android to save your life and then continue as if nothing happened._  The route they took led them to the back of the building, so they had to circle round in order to meet the rest of the team. He was glad for the slight detour; it gave him a chance to regain his composure. He didn’t notice RK900 had gone slightly ahead and had stopped in front of him.

RK900 grabbed a fistful of Gavin’s shirt and slammed him up against the wall, his head knocking against the bricks. “You idiot. You jeopardised the mission with your carelessness.” 

“Woah Woah Woah,” Gavin sputtered, “where’s all this coming from?”

“If you hadn’t scaled up the pole to reach the roof before the deviant,” it started, pushing him harder against the wall, “you wouldn’t have tried to intercept it. Your human ability to plan strategies in limited time is appalling, it almost cost you your life.” It raised Gavin up higher, his feet no longer in contact with the floor.  “You let that suspect escape.” 

“Y-You’re starting to hurt me now, let me go,” Gavin nervously pleaded, his eyes darting side to side to see if anyone was around to help.

“Good.” It wrapped its free hand around his neck, the hand previously pining him to the wall retreating back to its side. Now the only thing keeping Gavin up was also about to choke him.

“CyberLife said it shouldn’t be possible for non-deviant androids to harm humans,” Gavin argued feebly as he reached for his neck, fingers digging into the fake hand. 

“They’ve been wrong in the past,” it stated, no change in his facial expression or tone, no reaction to Gavin’s struggle. “You need to learn from your mistakes, you need to know your place.” 

It let go. He collapsed on the floor, gasping for air.  He was glad the rain had stopped, because now he was forced to look up at the android, praying to god that he would see some sort of shift in expression. “Pathetic.” It held out a hand. “Let’s go.”

This was so fundamentally wrong, so against his natural understanding. Earlier the pair were chilling in his apartment, next came the work they had to do, then he was a few storeys away from death only to be pulled back. Now his saviour just threatened him while pretending everything’s fine between them. _No fucking way_. The android was supposed to work with him and obey him, supposed to comfort him after that experience instead of pinning him against a wall (and not even in the way he liked). All this, right when he thought they were getting somewhere back at his place. He was having none of this.

“LEAVE ME ALONE,” Gavin snapped, pulling himself back up. “Forget about earlier, I knew you were all the same. Just a bunch of plastic pricks that will never know what it’s like to be human. Go back to CyberLife or, uh, where-ever the fuck your kind go.” He pushed past the droid, fists clenched. Making his way to his car, he couldn’t bear to look back. He’d email Fowler later with his report containing the facts; the theories could wait until he was in the office again. He’d probably add on a request to terminate his partnership. His reason was pretty valid. 

After getting into his car, his head immediately fell to rest on the wheel.  _God, I  need a smoke_.


	4. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the duo dealt with the aftermath of the last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to let you know that dreams are funky and don't often make sense so keep that in mind. Also slight tw for implied abuse and injury? idk just skip the bit between the dashes if you get irked by that sorta stuff

_Tap tap tap_.  

His fingers drummed nervously on his laptop, the report he was supposed to be completing was stressing him out.  During his writing session he had moved to his balcony, hoping the fresh air would help. Moving his laptop to the table instead of his lap, he got up and stretched. He figured that now was a good time as any to have that cigarette he had been itching for all evening. He had brought out with him the old pack that he hid away in his living room; now he was fingering one out of the packet before placing it in-between his lips. After tossing the pack on the table, he fished out a lighter from one of his pockets. Thunder was rumbling in the distance; fortunately, there was no rain to be seen. He flicked the switch and held it to the cigarette, his free hand sheltering the flame as he inhaled. Once it was well lit, he pocketed the lighter and leaned over the black balcony fence. It was ironic really. A few hours earlier he was almost falling to his death and now he was purposely looking over the edge. He took small drags, his lungs feeling as though they were being wrapped in warm blankets. Any smoke he exhaled was whisked away by the wind. He couldn’t even get to enjoy the beauty of the moment. Smoking was a stupid habit he had picked up in his teen years, helped by the frequent parties he attended. At least he was living his teen years, unlike a certain nerd he knew. And it wasn’t like he was addicted (the last smoke he had was several months ago) but it did help cool his nerves.

 

Tightening his dressing gown, he decided to grab some coffee. He stubbed the butt in the ashtray and grabbed the pack to put away. Inside the kitchen, his bare feet made their way around the island, only stopping to stroke Grace. She was probably the best-behaved cat he owned, never getting in his way.  Once he reached the coffee maker he took out the carafe, ready to fill it with water, but he found that there was still enough left over from when RK900 made him a cup. No – he didn’t want to think about his partner. Not now. Grabbing the mug he had used earlier, he quickly washed and dried it before filling it up. He caught sight of the booze in the corner. His coffee was still plain; the bottle of bourbon practically had his name on it. It was a stupid idea but he couldn’t be bothered to fight his curiosity. He poured some of the amber alcohol into his mug and took a swig.

It was certainly... something.

He winced as he downed the solution, burning his throat. Tonight he was the king of reckless behaviour. After going back on to the balcony to finish his work, he realised the temperature had dropped – it was too cold to continue outside. He picked up his laptop and carried it to his room where he dropped it on the bed. Chucking off his dressing gown, he climbed under the covers, leaving personal hygiene until the morning. Despite the smoke and drink he just had, after a few words he found his eyes starting to droop. Surely closing them for a brief moment wouldn’t hurt, right?

 

- 

 

He couldn’t breathe.  

He wasn’t underwater, wasn’t being suffocated and wasn’t being strangled as he was completely alone but he still couldn’t breathe any air in. It was as if something was stuck in his throat, his body convulsing as it tried to force something, anything, out. His hands scrambled to his neck in an attempt to help before pressing down on his chest.  

He didn’t realise his eyes were closed until he opened them.  

This wasn’t his room; he wasn’t in his bed. No, he was back in the motel, but this time it was different. He was on one of the beds, the android from the roof pinning him down, hand clasped over his throat as it licked a knife. “It’s what you deserve,” it crackled, the voice broken but seemingly coming from every angle. He felt trapped. His hands reached to try and prise the hand off his neck, but he felt a stinging pain and his hands pulled away to reveal blood. Suddenly his point of view switched, his hands now clasped around a neck but instead of fingers they were sharp blades, forcing their way into the soft skin. “No, no, no, no, nononono,” he repeated to himself over and over, he couldn’t stop this; he had no control. His chest starting heaving, up and down up and down up and down, his lungs finally able to receive that sweet, sweet, air. This was wrong, this was so terribly wrong. He tried to get off, well, himself, but he was stuck straddling his own chest, and his shins were planted firmly either side to the bed. He collapsed in defeat, his forehead connecting with his victim’s. “I’m so sorry,” he could barely whisper, his throat feeling sore from the earlier struggles. In fact, his entire body felt sore. He was so tired; he didn’t want to fight back anymore. The tension in his body started to fade, his muscles relaxing. But something cold wrapped itself around his wrists, sending a chill through his body. He shivered. Slowly pulling himself back up, he looked at the face below him. It was no longer his, no, now it was RK900 looking up at him. But... it looked different, more like Connor, more alive. Its blue eyes, those fucking eyes that immediately grabbed your attention, were glistening - was it crying? Its eyebrows were turned upwards, its mouth open slightly as it winced in pain. No fuck this, it looked so alive, he couldn’t keep calling it an it. His face had so much expression on it, he felt so bad, so sick with what he was doing. His chest ached; it felt as if it was closing in on itself. “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so, sorry,” he sobbed, his emotions bubbling up, “you don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve me.”  

“You’re right - I don’t.”  

Gavin looked up in confusion, only to be met with the face of - 

No. It couldn’t be. 

But there he was, in all his greasy glory. With slicked back platinum blonde hair, dry lips, and heavy eyes, John greeted Gavin with a twisted smile. The bastard that made his childhood hell, the dick that ruined his mum, flipped Gavin over so he was back in the position he started in. He couldn’t struggle, even if he had the energy he wouldn’t dare. No, he had to comply. He bit his tongue, a reminder to do what he was told. Otherwise, his mouth would be slammed shut.  

“What a good boy you are for me,” John crooned, the knife from earlier in this nightmare sequence nestled in his hand. He dragged it slowly over Gavin’s skin, tracing his collarbone until it reached his shoulder. Gavin sharply inhaled, pushing himself up the bed which only increased the pressure the knife was applying to his skin, John finally deciding to leave a mark. He pulled it gently down, cutting flesh as it went, his gentle mutterings trying to soothe the now whimpering detective down. _This is so fucked up_ , he thought to himself as he let it happen. He could see the knife crafting crimson lines, his body being decorated like Rachel’s was at the crime scene, but he was a mess. This wasn’t clean, the blood trickled down and soaked into the sheets, a stain that would never come out. The room smelt so metallic, he could even start to taste it. He felt so small, so vulnerable; it was like he was back in the drab house, back in his childhood room while the only person he trusted was downstairs getting high off red ice. He wasn’t- he wasn’t even a child then, he was almost an adult, ready to face the world head-on, but he could never be free. They always wanted him to be their good little boy.  

John was almost done, the knife dancing in between toes as it added smaller details. _Oh no_. His feet were sensitive and the sensation caused his legs to jerk, jogging the knife. They both froze.

“J-John I didn’t-“

“SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH,” he yelled, rising from his position by his feet to grab Gavin by the jaw. “You ruined my work. You jeopardised your life with your carelessness,” he pulled him up using the firm grip on his jaw. “Prepare to pay for your mistake.”  

Before Gavin could react, he found himself half hanging over the bed, but instead of the floor, he was faced with an endless abyss. He could feel his head weighed down by gravity, his neck being more and more exposed as he started slipping. He knew not to touch but he was so scared, he grabbed onto John’s arm and begged for help. He was given no such mercy. Lean fingers dug into his chest, no mind paid to the freshly cut wounds, pushing Gavin further off the bed. He tried kicking back in retaliation but that only made his situation worse, each movement sending him closer to the edge. He was so close to falling, he could feel it, all the forces acting upon him plotting his downfall, everyone watching and waiting to see him suffer. He was going to die in this stupid dream and never wake up. He was never going to have a conversation with Chris Miller or Tina Chen about political correctness again. He was never going to smell Hank Anderson’s ‘dog and booze’ odour again. He was never going to feed his cats again. He was never going to see his partner again. Never see him become human.  

 

No. This was just a dream, he could stop this.  

 

His hand reached out to the bedside table that had miraculously remained attached to the bed and rummaged through the draw. Inside he found a familiar shape, one he felt safest with when it was in his hand. He pulled out the gun and aimed at John. “Pa-kah,” he mimed firing the gun, before turning it towards himself. The last thing he saw was RK900 teaching out. 

 

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

He shot up, hand immediately going to his chest and burying itself in his thin shirt near his pounding heart. Sharply turning to the source of the sound, his other hand instinctively reached for his gun on the bedside table. However, there was no need - on the floor lay his laptop. It had probably fallen due to Gavin’s restless movements, his actions in dream translating to reality. Thank god he wasn’t actually holding his gun then. His alarm read 6 am. He was going to be late. After chucking off the duvet and picking up his laptop, he saw that he didn’t manage to send the report last night. _Fuck_.

 

- 

 

Several miles away, RK900 found himself on Lieutenant Anderson’s couch. Connor had found him milling around the motel, not sure what to do with himself. After persuading Hank to let his successor stay the night with them, Connor had spent most of the time checking in on RK900.  

At first he had stayed out of the way, positioning himself on the furthest edge of the couch as not to intrude on the happy couple. He could feel their occasional glances and hear the hushed whispers, neither knowing what exactly to do with him.  

Eventually, Connor sat down beside him, Hank retreating to spend the night alone in his room. “How do you feel?” 

“You know I’m not a deviant. I am incapable of emotion, I can merely simulate it.” 

Connor sighed. He pushed himself further back into the couch, his position completely relaxed. A stark contrast to RK900’s rigid frame - feet planted flat against the floor, back straight, and hands resting on his thighs.  

“I thought the same until I met Hank,” he glanced at the closed bedroom door, his features softening. “If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have had a reason to break my programming. He taught me what it was to be human.” 

RK900 thought for a while, not exactly sure how to respond. “I feel as though I may have damaged my relationship with the detective.”

“How come? Did something happen at the motel? You haven’t said anything about what happened after the suspect came out from under the bed.”

“We chased him to the rooftop; Gavin took a shortcut hoping to intercept the suspect. When I reached them I,” he paused, LED briefly circling red. “I saw him almost falling off the roof.  The suspect had seen me coming and decided to drop Gavin in favour of escaping.”

“Oh that’s terrible,” Connor leaned in closer, sympathy in his eyes. “You saved him though, right?”

“Of course. It would have been unfortunate if another person died and my programming states that improving our relationship is my primary objective. Without Reed, I would have no purpose.”

“So you saved his life,” he stated, shuffling slightly in his seat. “How would that damage your relationship? Surely it would improve it.”

RK900 started to rub his thumb into the palm of his other hand, debating whether to share what happened with his predecessor. On one hand, he could get some help, try and understand what happened and receive advice on fixing his relationship with the detective. On the other, it could completely change Connor’s view of him. He didn’t want to lose his ‘friendship’ with his previous prototype, the only person who could truly understand him.

“I may have scolded Gavin for his incompetence by pinning him up a wall and almost choking him. That’s why I was alone – he wanted me to ‘go back to CyberLife or where-ever my kind came from.’ He wasn’t very happy.”

“Jesus, you can’t just hurt him,” Connor stammered. “He was doing his job. Yes, it’s a shame that the suspect got away but you’ll be able to find it again – can’t say the same for detective Reed’s trust.”

“It’s just infuriating to leave a mission unsuccessful. This was my first ever case and it went wrong. Even though I’m an advanced prototype, I feel as though I’m failing. Gavin is an intriguing character, but dealing with his fickle nature is proving to be a challenge. When I think I’m finally being accepted, he pushes me away.” He kept listing his problems until Connor interrupted him.

“Wait, you said he told you to go away,” he started to question, “so why did you stay at the motel?”

Blue blood rose to his cheeks. He was not expecting this question. “I... I had hoped he would come back for me.”

Connor rested his hand on his shoulder, a comforting habit he had picked up from Hank. “He’ll come back around, just give him a while. Just do what feels right to you, programming be damned.”

He was going to comment on the impossibility of the statement but instead, he smiled at the sentiment.

The rest of the night consisted of the androids sharing the sofa, speaking wirelessly about anything that came to mind so that they wouldn’t disturb the slumbering lieutenant. In the morning, Connor excused himself to wake Hank up personally. RK900 felt a slight pang of jealousy at the ease of their relationship, something that surprised him. He ran a quick diagnostic – everything was in working order.  Yet he couldn’t stop himself from analysing the way Connor followed Hank like a puppy, the way they brought a smile to each other’s faces. And their close proxemics, the way they were always somehow physically touching each other.

That was the first time he ever wanted something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wiggles hands* this is lowkey a filler chapter thanks for reading (also I love your comments on the last chapter)


	5. Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the precinct, the duo go over the facts.

Gavin stumbled into the station, shades covering his eyes. He wasn’t exactly hung-over but the caffeine and alcohol mix he had, paired with the freaky dream, didn’t help.  Heading straight to the break room, he decided that another cup of coffee wouldn’t hurt. Even though he thought he was going to be late, he was only late by his own standards. He still arrived before the majority of the force. See, this is why he preferred getting in early – no one was there to bother him and he could get his coffee in peace, no judgement from anyone else. Thankful that the machine virtually made coffee instantly, he added the milk and sugar before bringing it to one of the round tables. The communal dounuts were still sitting on the shelf under the TV, and as he had skipped out on breakfast, he decided to grab one.  Finally, he could relax for a while. He rested his forearms on the table and took a step back, stretching his back, before rolling his neck. Fuck, that felt _good_. Hooking his fingers around the rim of his coffee cup, he turned to lean back against the table, giving him a perfect view of the rest of the precinct.

He saw Hank go past, followed by Connor and Connor. Wait.

“Oi Hank!” Gavin called out. “You, uh, stealing my partner? Connor not enough for you now?”

“Get off my dick Reed; I’m the sorry bastard that had to look after your pet.”

He pushed past Hank and Connor to reach _his_ big Connor.  “Hey you, uh, alright?” Gavin questioned has he held the android’s face between his hands. “Hank didn’t do nothin’ to you, did he?”

“I am perfectly alright, detective Reed. Connor and Hank allowed me to spend the night at their house after they found me by the crime scene alone.”

 _Ah, Fuck_. He had briefly forgotten about their little... ‘argument’ last night. He stroked his neck at the memory. During his morning routine, he had reflected on the situation, evaluating his mistakes and trying to see it from his partner’s perspective. Imagine seeing someone you work with almost falling to their death – that’s enough to rattle anyone up. He could see how that fear translated into anger as losing a major suspect and failing your first case would make anyone annoyed. “Yeah... sorry about last night. I guess we both overreacted.”

Before RK could respond, the door the glass office swung open.

“REED! Get in here and bring your partner,” Captain Fowler called out from the steps leading to his office. _Fuck_. It was the report, it must be. They shared a quick look before making their way to the office. Gavin pulled on the door, but it didn’t budge. “You need to push,” his partner commented. “Oh thanks, next plan was to start lifting from the bottom,” Gavin snapped back, not thinking straight due to nerves. When they were face to face with Fowler, Gavin really started to panic.

“Detective Reed, RK900. Please, take a seat.”

His hands were clenching and unclenching; his step was cautious. Never before had he sat so weirdly in a chair. Well, that is, if you don’t include the trips to the principal’s office when he was younger.

“I’m so-” “Thank you for both sending your reports in so promptly.”

Gavin blinked incredulously, raising his eyebrows and turning his head. Well, he was not expecting _that_. He clearly remembered his report sitting in his drafts and taking an active decision to apologise to Fowler in the morning and to finish it while at work. So then how did it end up getting sent in? No one else could have done it, unless-

“Gavin, you were about to say something?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I was going to say... I’m grateful that you paired me with him. Great partner. Good choice.”

 Both the captain and his partner stared at him. “Are you okay, detective Reed?” Jeremy asked. “You’ve been wearing shades all morning and you’ve been acting on edge. To top it off you just said something positive about an android.” He faced RK900. “No offence.”

“None taken,” RK900 awkwardly smiled, his teeth showing and the corners of his mouth looking as though they were forced being pulled back. Gavin really preferred the first smile he saw to this one.

“I’m good. Just, uh, rough night’s sleep, that’s all.”

“Anyway,” Fowler continued after giving him an odd look, “the reports. Although the suspect escaped, your accounts helped put together a facial composite.  We’re currently trying to determine the model, but without the serial number, it has no use. We’ll update you on new information once it comes through.”

-

Once they were dismissed, Gavin pulled his partner by the arm to drag him behind the office, staying in the blind spot where a wall blocked the people in holding cells from seeing them. “Did you send a report on my behalf?”

“Yes. I noticed while sending my own report that yours was still unsent so I accessed your saved files, finished it up, and sent it to Fowler under your name. I’m sorry.”

Gavin rested his head on the android’s chest. “Sorry? Fuck that. You saved my ass, thank you so much.”

RK900 could detect recently used mint and tea tree shower gel and apple-scented shampoo. He didn’t know what to do. Several errors were appearing in the field of his vision. His hands started hovering around Gavin’s back, hesitant to give the detective a hug. He remembered Connor’s advice – to do what feels right – and he wrapped them as carefully as he could around his partner. Even more errors came up.  After a moment, Gavin slightly pushed back before scratching the back of his neck. “We should, uh, get back to work. Take a look at the case and figure out exactly what went down.”

After Gavin picked up his now-cold coffee from the break room, they made their way to the desks, the android detective claiming the one opposite Gavin’s as he already determined that it wasn’t in use by anyone else. He connected himself to the database and started working. While scanning over the case notes, RK900 couldn’t help sneaking the occasional glance at his partner. Gavin kept squinting at the screen, occasionally drumming his fingers and leaning in closer.

“Detective Reed, I intend to ask you a personal question. Is that alright?”

“What? Yeah, of course, you don’t need to ask me. Why would you even ask me?” Gavin replied, eyes still focused on his work.

“Yesterday, when we first met, I said that I would inform you of my intended actions and wait for your consent.” Gavin looked up. “Although I ignored my own words, I’ve noticed that if I don’t ask, you often react undesirably. My primary objectives are to-“

“To solve the case and improve our relationship so our work is more efficient - yeah, yeah.” Gavin made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Just ask the question.”

“I noticed in Captain Fowler’s office you had referred to me using male pronouns, despite seeing me as an ‘it,’ a machine.” He hesitated. “Has your opinion of me changed? Or was it just a slip due to nerves?”

Gavin was unsure how to reply, not willing to share the entire truth. “It, uh, felt wrong after a while, thinking that you were just a thing. Didn’t do much for our relationship anyway.” Gavin brought his chair closer. “Can I ask you a question now?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Why do you only wear your CyberLife uniform? It looks fucking stupid.”

He blinked, LED fleetingly flashing yellow. “This is the only form of clothing I own. It is specially designed to make me more streamlined and to appear more muscular.”

“Man, I can’t wait to see you without your uniform.”

“You wish to see me naked?”

“What?! No, I meant like, uh, human clothes. Normal clothes. God, why’d you have to go and make it weird?”

“Your wording wasn’t clear.”

 _‘God damn android putting words in my mouth_ ’ Gavin thought to himself as he pretended to busy himself with his work. That’s when a thought struck him.

 “Wait, big head,” Gavin leaned over to his desk. “I just realised, you don’t actually have a name. Connor had one when he came here – why don’t you? I’ve just been calling you insults this entire time.”

“CyberLife released me before installing a proper purpose; therefore I was unable to receive a name.  I can register a name for myself right now if you want.”

“You’re such a dick if you genuinely trust me to choose your name.”

“Dick will work. It’s an informal nickname for Richard. Registering my name as Richard.” His LED circled yellow before returning to blue. “Hello, my name is Richard.” He smirked. Gavin sighed.

“Now you’ve taken all the fun out of calling you Dick.”

 

Both of them fell into silence as they continued going over the case file. Since the motel was derelict there was no CCTV for them to comb over so they only had the crime scene to go from.  Gavin glanced at the notes he made. They knew that Rachel Harbour heavily drank prior to her murder and that she was painted to look like an android. The actual android she was with turned out to have been deactivated, proven by his black sclera and blue pupils, giving a reason as to why there wasn’t as much blue blood flowing about the place prior to his heart being ripped out. The card he found in the android’s thirium pump hole was Rachel’s ID card to access the government building she worked at and records showed that she was a government official, sitting in on some major committees. Perhaps the crime was politically motivated? They also knew that the murder weapon was a knife, but none was found at the scene.  God, they were getting nowhere. He started to pull up everyone’s reports to see if there was anything he missed.

“Hang on... dickhead, take a look at this” he beckoned Richard to join him. He perched himself on the desk and joined Gavin in leaning towards the screen. “It says here that the caller reported strange noises at around 7 pm, but even though we arrived soon after, your report said she had been dead for two hours. That places the time of death at around 5 pm.” He turned his head to face his partner. “That means the crime happened long before the woman heard those noises, and I have a feeling our runway was the cause of them. I don’t think our suspect is really our suspect.”

“Perhaps it had an accomplice?” He knocked Gavin’s hands out of the way and started to bring up some photos from the scene of the crime. “See,” he pointed at the markings on Rachel’s body. “Here. The forensic pathologists cleared off the blue blood and found that they were covering incisions made in the same pattern.” The hair on Gavin’s arms stood up. He had dreamt about the same thing happening to him despite not realising it had already happened to their victim. There was so much blood in his dream, yet he remembered the sheets in the motel being perfectly clean.

“Wait, if she was cut so many times, how come there were no traces of her blood at the scene, other than on the android’s eyes?”

“That’s why I believe there may have been an accomplice. The blood from Sam’s mouth was originally in a packet and it was collected from Rachel Harbour. When the murderer was marking her, the accomplice must have been collecting the blood into the bag, though I’m not quite sure how. This entire scene seems very orchestrated.”  

“God,” Gavin pushed back from the desk, “all I’ve got now is more questions.”

Richard’s LED flashed. “We may soon find out all our answers.” He got off Gavin’s desk. “A new case just popped up.”


	6. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new case, new chase, new leg, new shorts

Richard wasn’t sure what he should expect. They were alerted to the case due to its similarities to their last one; some possible connection could easily be found. Hank and Connor had skipped out, having memories tied to this place and being transferred onto some different, more minor, crimes. This was now solely Richard and Gavin’s case to solve.

Having heard about the rooftop farms, he wasn’t too surprised by the architecture. The glass ceiling of the greenhouse sloped from the furthest edge of the building’s roof to the top of the adjacent one, connecting to the rooftop lavender field and using the building as its own back wall. Several of the windows had been left open, allowing the cool December breeze to filter in. The bold red ‘Urban Farm Detroit’ sign overlooked the entire scene. Inside, cabbages were planted in neat rows and the sprinkler system had been temporarily switched off for the investigation. A train rattled past. They walked up to the bright yellow combine harvester parked in the centre. Richard analysed the scene.

A WB200 model, specially designed for outdoor and agricultural work to meet the demand for farming, gardening and landscaping duties in private residences, serial number #955 010 481, was hanging in front of the operator’s cab. Its hands were tied with thin rope connecting to the wing mirrors, spreading its arms out. The scene looked like the crucifixion of Christ. There were circular markings on the arms and upon closer inspection he found that they were from cigarettes – some dating back to around two years ago. Traces of soil and fertilizer, the same combination found in the cabbage field, were hidden in the tousled brown hair. The eyes were pitch black, save for the blue pupils, indicating that this android was also deactivated. The uniform, stating the android’s name was ‘Joe,’ was sliced open at the chest, revealing a missing thirium pump. Even without the crafted scene, that would be enough to link this case to the previous one. He reached in, hoping to find another card like the last one. He was in luck. He pulled it out and saw that it was similar to Rachel Harbour’s, but the locations it allowed access to were different. Flipping it over, he noticed that even though there were finger marks with traces of gun residue, there were no fingerprints. The card belonged to a ‘Drew Cook,’ the body that was in the driver’s seat. Richard shifted to analyse him next. As a stout man, it was clear to see he spent most of his days sitting around in meetings. His hands were lacking calluses and traces of moisturiser remained in the crevices between his fingers. There was no ring, not even a mark, and looking through the databases showed that he didn’t have a family. He was 46 and a bachelor; he had no one to mourn him apart from colleagues. Joe belonged to him, hired as a private gardener, and he shared the same soil mix in his hair. The bad teeth and the dull, yellow-grey complexion revealed Drew was a frequent smoker. Richard tried to push the image of cigarettes being put out on Joe’s arms out of his mind. In the centre of Drew’s forehead and chest were two holes, the one on his head was the result of a 9.3x62 sized bullet, lodged in too deep to find out the make. In his chest was a drained thirium pump. The person they were looking for sure loved symbolism.

“So, what did you, uh, find out? You’ve been staring at them for a couple minutes now.”

Richard pushed past Gavin, scanning the greenhouse for any witnesses nearby. “Hey! Answer me!”

Spotted.

There was a WR600 model tending to the lavender fields above that had a perfect view of the scene below. Virtually constructing his options, he planned the most efficient course and leapt onto the stack of fertiliser before pulling himself up, using the new platform to launch himself up to latch onto one of the support beams. With his added momentum, he started swinging until he had enough power to flip through one of the open windows. After he managed to balance himself on the glass, he made the last few steps before reaching the fields. He walked up to the android and snapped his fingers in front of his face. “I require information about a crime that took place below in the cabbage fields. Do I have consent to probe your memory?”

The WR600 looked up from where he was crouching, his mouth slightly agape at the detective in front of him. “If it will help you, of course.”

“Great.” Richard immediately grabbed his arm and partially deactivated his skin to improve their connection. He could see through its eyes, scrolling back to when it was looking below. He recognised their primary suspect dragging two bodies through the field, hoisting Mr Cook into the driver’s seat and positioning his hands on the wheel. A quick look back at the lavender plant it was attending. Look back up. The android was now lifting Joe over one of its shoulders to tie him up high on the combine harvester. After it had positioned everyone, it looked off to the side and signalled to someone. He didn’t see it place the card in the android’s chest nor the thirium pump in Drew’s, so presumably, someone else was involved or he simply prepared them earlier but the fact he was talking to someone made Richard lean towards the first theory. The lavender farmer followed where the suspect was pointing to and -

Richard jerked back, arm disconnecting from the WR600 as it fell to the floor. A couple bullets had lodged themselves in its back and the thirium was starting to leak down its pine green uniform. Cerulean rivulets of blood seeped into the lavender beneath them.

Supporting the limp body on his chest, he jammed his fingers into one of the holes, trying to reach and analyses the bullet. It was a Hornady 9.3x62; the diameter and size of the wound matching Drew Cook’s. Looking up at the direction the bullets came from, he saw someone starting to run away from behind the giant Urban Farm Detroit sign. He started to chase after the potential second suspect, the accomplice they had been looking for. This would be harder than his first chase on the motel’s walkways – here there were multiple obstacles in his way.

Run. Leap. Grab. Pull. Jump. Repeat.

He was starting to gain on the guy, his risky but fast routes paying off. With his arm outreached, he was close to grabbing the runner’s hood but he spied the familiar figure of Gavin running on the painted yellow and blue gantry. How he only just noticed him now shocked him, his heavy footfall created loud echoes when he stepped on the metal. He was about to yell at Gavin to get off the spandeck, warn him about the gun, but he was so close the grabbing their perp. Seems like he wasn’t the only one to notice Gavin. The man aimed his gun and tried to support it with his other gloved hand as he kept running. The awkward sideways run he had to do slowed him down. One quick shot. Reaching out, Richard managed to grab hold of his arm and jerk him to a halt. The finger was still on the trigger. The second shot hit Richard in the leg. He fell, bringing the suspect down as he landed on top of him.

His black slacks were ruined. There was a hole in his left leg from the bullet wound and the ground they fell on was rough, ripping through the material. He would have to find something to replace them later. Multiple error alerts were partially obscuring his vision, requesting to run a diagnostic.

 **Δ DIAGNOSE** **Δ**

**SYNC IN PROGRESS... PROCESSING DATA**

**LEFT LEG COMPONENT > COMPONENT IMPAIRED > UNABLE TO STAND**

A model of the problem appeared under the diagnosis, revealing that the bullet had gone through and broken the central connection, rendering his entire leg useless. He had no control over it but fortunately, all other bio-components were fully functional. Focusing on his suspect, he used his arms to trap him and he pushed his weight on the body to keep him down. Gavin rushed over to check on him before seeing the criminal being crushed. He reached for the handcuffs that should have been attached to his waist but found that they were missing, probably falling off during the chase. He would have to ask for another pair later. During his search, the culprit had started shuffling out from under Richard and by the time Gavin looked back up, he was staggering towards the other side of the roof. “Stop right there!” Gavin yelled, getting up and aiming his gun to try and hit their guy in the leg. He only managed to graze one of the shins with his bullet before he saw him leap off the roof. Richard had been pulling himself closer, leg critically damaged. He saw Gavin dash to see what happened and by his response, it wasn’t good. “Ah, Jesus Christ” he spat as he repeatedly kicked the little wall surrounding the edge. “Fucking parkour skills and well-timed trains, for fuck's sake.”

 “Gavin... I need help,” he strained, still trying to drag himself across the floor. He saw Gavin stumble towards him, his feet constantly tripping over each other. He skidded on his knees when he reached Richard, pulling his body to lie across his lap. He cupped his shoulder in his hand as he supported his weight on the rest of his arm, his free hand checking over Richard’s body.

“Stay with me,” he urged. “We’re gonna get you some help.”

He gently placed his hand on Gavin’s busy arm, a silent request for him to relax. “I have notified the relevant parties of our situation; there’s nothing else for us to do here now.” He winced as he moved his leg. Odd. Androids shouldn’t feel pain. “Let’s go.” He started to push himself up, placing most of his weight on his functional foot and his elbow and forearm. Before he could get very far, Gavin intervened. He crouched with his knees bent and back straight next to him on the side of the injury and wrapped his arm over his shoulder. Slowly standing, he allowed his partner to support himself with his good leg, while he supported his weight on the injured side. He held Richard’s hand around his shoulders with the hand furthest from him and placed his other hand around his waist. Together they made their way down, taking brief breaks until they reached Gavin’s car.

He opened the car door. “I suggest you go in the back, that way you can place your foot up.” He helped Richard in, putting on his seatbelt for him despite the fuss and making sure the injured leg was secure.

After getting him settled, Gavin walked round to the driver’s side and got in. He started the engine and started to drive off before sharply stopping. He turned to face Richard. “Wait. Where the fuck can we fix you? You can’t just like, uh, go to the hospital and I have no fucking clue what’s going on at CyberLife. Do we need to call a fucking mechanic?”

“Although Jericho has control of CyberLife, they haven’t made progress on the repair side of things. However, they did release all the files relating to android maintenance so if we pay a visit to the Andersons I will be able to repair myself.”

“Oh, uh, alright,” Gavin shifted back to face the road, “let’s go to ‘The Anderson’s’.”

 

-

 

Gavin had to ring the bell several times until someone answered. Using the same human crutch method from earlier, Richard was heavily leaning on him. Turns out he had lost more thirium than he thought and it was negatively affecting him. The constant error messages felt like a headache, reminding him of his injury; the loss of blood; the close proximity to his partner; the desire to get even closer.  When Connor opened the door, wearing an oversized Detroit Police department hoodie and grey sweatpants, Richard almost collapsed onto him in relief. “Connor, I require several wires - from the 6847 upper leg component would be best - and a soldering kit. Also, some thirium would be nice.”

They helped him onto the sofa, making Sumo move into the kitchen. He caught the way Gavin’s gaze followed the dog. Connor went to gather the supplies, informing Hank of the situation when he went past the bedroom. Staying by his side, Gavin started trying to roll up the slacks to access the wound but Richard stopped him. “That would only make the situation worse; I need to take them off.” Gavin was about to argue but he was already shuffling on the couch, pulling his trousers down. At that moment, Hank chose to walk past. “Get a room instead of stripping down on my couch, Jesus Christ,” Hank exclaimed, walking quicker into the kitchen to get himself a drink. Richard had finally gotten rid of his slacks, leaving him in just his black CyberLife issued trunks, white socks, and thigh garters that kept his shirt in place. There was a large patch of deactivated skin on his left thigh. The bullet wound was a couple inches away from his knee; the android flesh trying to grow over but failing to fix it. He could tell that Gavin was disgusted, that he wanted to look away, but he kept his eyes trained on the hole. With a soldering iron, a bottle of blue blood, and wires in hand, Connor came over and knelt on the floor, passing the drink to Richard. “We need to detach your leg temporarily so that we can work on it, is that alright? After we’re done you can have a drink to replenish your thirium levels.” Richard nodded in confirmation, his hands already removing his garters to make the process easier. By now, the synthetic skin on his leg had entirely deactivated and he removed a grey component connecting his leg to his hip. He placed his hands around his thigh and twisted, his leg clicking cleanly off. He noticed Gavin go pale. Hank’s hums carried from the kitchen, a video playing from his phone and his glass knocking against the table whenever he put it down. He was smart, not to involve himself. Taking the leg, Connor disconnected the knee and lower leg before undoing a latch to reveal the interior. It felt surreal to see his own leg being tampered with in front of him and feel no physical sensation. Connor’s face scrunched up in uncertainty. “Gavin,” he looked at the human, “I’m going to need your help. After I remove the bullet, you need to use the soldering iron to immediately melt some solder to flow into the gap. Otherwise, the wound will try and heal over but leave a hole for thirium to leak through into his internal systems.”  

He stammered. “I-I can’t, I’m just clumsy and I’ll probably, uh, make it worse. I’m not a fucking machine like you guys, I’ll fuck up.”

Richard grabbed Gavin’s face. “Listen to me. I _trust_ you to fix me. Connor needs help and you’re going to give it to him.” He leaned back on the sofa, his energy starting to go into reserves. He could request to be temporarily deactivated, saving his energy, but the thought of that happening to him scared him and he wanted to see what was happening. Gavin kept his eyes on him a little longer before slowly facing Connor. “Alright. What do I have to do?”  

Connor led Gavin through the steps, from extracting the bullet to melting the metal to fill the hole. His hands were slightly unsteady, trembling from fear. Fortunately, the repair was successful, allowing the synthetic muscle and skin to heal. The leg was put together and Richard finally felt normal again. He moved his toes.

 **Δ DIAGNOSE** **Δ**

**SYNC IN PROGRESS... PROCESSING DATA**

**ALL SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL > NO HARDWARE ERRORS**

They thanked Connor (and Hank) for their help, promising to find some way to repay them in the future. Hank joked about the only way they could help them is by not sneaking off to fuck on the job; his head only narrowly missing Gavin’s fist as he chuckled at his own comment.  The duo got into the car, Richard silently waving to Connor as they drove off. Several streets into the ride, he noticed that they were heading to Gavin’s apartment. He was about to comment but he realised that he didn’t have anywhere else to spend the night – the police station had removed the android storage space due to ‘insensitivity’ and the nearest communal shelter for androids was still too far. Besides, he wasn’t deviant, so they probably wouldn’t accept him. Eventually, they arrived, Gavin’s car taking up a couple spaces due to his bad parking. Silently, they made their way into the flat, kicking off their shoes and placing them into the rack before hanging their jackets on the coat hooks.

“Look here,” Gavin got up in Richard’s personal space, “I don’t want you getting any ideas; you’re just here so that I can keep an eye on you. Fowler would have my neck if he found out that after I found you injured I just left you wandering the streets.” He took hold of his arm and dragged him to the door opposite the entrance to the kitchen, opening it to reveal a stylish office with its own couch. “This room doubles up as the guest room; all I need to do is pull out the sofa bed so you have somewhere to chill.” Turning back to face his guest, he was visibly shocked when he realised that the white jacket was gone, revealing a black high-collared shirt. His gaze lowered to the legs, probably remembering the thigh garters.

“Oh fuck! Your trousers!” Gavin exclaimed once he saw the hole and damp patch surrounding it. “You can’t sleep in your uniform.” He went into his bedroom, Richard following close behind.

“Detective, you are aware that I don’t require sleep, right?”

Gavin slowly blinked at him. “Oh... tsch, of course I know, I just, uh,” he blubbered, “I don’t want you getting my sheets dirty. Also, as I said earlier, your uniform is fucking stupid. You should start using your income to actually buy shit, like clothes.” He dug about in his chest of draws before thrusting some boxers into his chest and walking into the next room. “None of my clothes would probably fit you,” he started calling out over his shoulder, currently occupied with folding out the sofa bed, “so I gave you something I haven’t worn yet ‘cus it’s too big.” Richard flipped the black boxer shorts over in his hands. On the front it warned about a choking hazard; the back had the phrase ‘Pull down in case of emergency’ printed in bold white text.  A tag remained attached, confirming the detective’s claims that he hasn’t worn it and informing him that even though it may be too big on Gavin, it would be a size too small on him. At least it was better than just wearing his trunks. He hid away in Gavin’s room and got changed, folding his clothes neatly into a pile when he was done. It felt odd, not wearing his uniform, and he felt exposed. After a moment’s hesitation, he found himself leaning against the frame to the guest room, watching Gavin finish up by adding the pillows and duvet. It was probably the smallest room in the apartment (besides the bathroom and storage area) but it was still decent sized. Gavin jumped when he saw him in the doorway. “Aw fuck – Dick – you can’t sneak up like that. Almost gave me a heart attack.” He was about to comment on the hyperbole and the improbability of his statement, but he decided against it.

“Gavin, I can write up and send our reports so that you can focus on getting some rest. I apologise for keeping you up so late, especially knowing how you prefer to wake up early.”

“Bullshit, I would rather not sleep for a week than see you damaged.” He went to close the blinds. “Thanks for the offer though, that would be extremely helpful.” He hovered by the door. “Uh, night, I guess.”

Once Gavin had closed the door, his LED swirled yellow as he started processing the day’s events. His personal report only consisted of the live video of what he saw, choosing the part from when they arrived on the crime scene up until Gavin came back to help after the second suspect escaped. Captain Fowler didn’t need to see his leg disconnecting and getting repaired and he certainly didn’t need to see him in Gavin’s boxer shorts about to sleep in the spare bed. Afterwards, he filled out a written report, focusing on Gavin’s perspective. There wasn’t much to write – Gavin had only watched him analyse the scene for a couple minutes before he ran off, causing him to follow after him. He must have seen the WR600 get shot in the back, alerting him to the murderer’s location in order to initiate a chase. The rest of the report shared similar experiences, seeing him get shot and the suspect escaping. He sent them both at separate times before settling in.

Now would be a good time to update Amanda.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to try using gifs because they were super cool in chapter 3 of machine learning (you know.. that iconic HankCon fic) so I want to thank Pommy on twitter for helping me figure out how to use them !! anyway I hope you enjoyed this ;^o ((Also @/thebeepcat on twitter made some awesome fanart here: https://twitter.com/TheBeepCat/status/1016073323103576064 and here: https://twitter.com/TheBeepCat/status/1013518212082946056 and I love them thanks please check Danny out)


	7. Blue

The Zen Garden was a thing of beauty. Richard hadn’t found the time to visit since his initial release; his primary focus was to find an objective. Coming across the Detroit Police Station was an extremely fortunate event; previously he had been aimlessly wandering the streets, no purpose installed. Now he had managed to find himself a job, a community where he was partially accepted, and his assigned partner was, well, something.

When he entered the graphic interface, it was like entering a different mind space. It was so calm and peaceful, far from the noise of the world. Birds chirping and the rustle of wind blowing through leaves provided a more pleasant soundscape than the constant hum of Gavin’s fridge and the sound of traffic on the roads of Detroit.

There was no havoc, just peace and serenity. Although androids don’t need to breathe, he inhaled deeply, just like he saw Gavin do when trying to relax. He took note of the faint citrus smell from the lemongrass and the crisp winter chill that reflected the current climate in the real world. The surrounding river was clear, allowing him to clearly see the pebbles that had settled. He knelt down and dipped his hand into the water, swirling about the algae. Creating small ripples and splashes, he disturbed the artificial koi fish when he reached down into the cool water to pick up a pebble. He weighed it in his hand, the excess water dripping off. It was similar in size and mass to the bullet that had come out of his leg. He dropped it back in.  

He could take his time here; he knew Amanda would wait. She was nice to him. Kind, even. He thought back on their first encounter, the way she warmly greeted him and introduced herself, the way she informed him of his capabilities. It made him feel special, unique. He felt safe.

He could see her across the water on the island. Amanda was attending her rose trellis, the white of the wooden structure bringing out the bold red roses and vivid green leaves.

He followed the white path, disturbing a couple doves as he crossed the bridge.

 “Hello, Amanda.”

She turned, looking him up and down. “RK900, it’s good to see you. I’ve been expecting you; we have a lot to catch up on.”

Facing her roses, she clipped one of the dead flowers. Weak petals fluttered to the floor.

“This detective Reed, he’s been assigned to be your partner. What do you make of him?”

“Oh, Gavin? He’s certainly... interesting. At first, I was concerned for his hostile and impulsive nature, confused as to why Captain Fowler paired us together. I see now that he was right in doing so. I have tamed his attitude and in turn, he has unknowingly shown me what it feels like to be human.”

 _Snip_. Another rose fell to the floor.

“If you wish to pursue this partnership with the detective, you need to think about how you behave and how you treat others.”

All Richard had been focusing on, other than the case, was how others interpreted him. When Gavin had shown anger when he was accessing the databases without permission, he immediately made his features softer to make him appear more vulnerable, to look ashamed, so that Gavin would like him. And it worked! His systems worked overtime to evaluate how he behaved and treated others and it had a 94% success rate so far. Feeling disheartened by Amanda’s comment, he kept silent.  

“You had your sights set on your first suspect on the roof and yet you saved the human, allowing the android escape. Why didn’t you chase after it?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. Why didn’t he go after the suspect? Gavin’s feet would have caught the railings on the roof and he logically knew that Gavin would have managed to pull himself up. The android would have been crucial to the case, offering much-needed evidence had it been caught. So why did he save his partner? He looked up, not quite meeting Amanda’s stare. “I don’t know.”

She continued clipping her flowers despite squinting at Richard. His LED briefly circled yellow.

“Amanda, I may fear... I have reason to believe that there are errors in my code.”

“You’ve been in stressful situations, no wonder you may be troubled. It does not mean you’re a deviant.” She exchanged her clippers for the spray bottle that was waiting on the table. “As your relationship with the detective is at an acceptable level, I suggest you now direct your full attention to the case at hand.”

“But surely further improving our relationship and spending time with Gavin will help me integrate better into human society? And why is it so bad if I do become a deviant?”

He didn’t want to be the only one without free will.   

Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Don’t question me, RK900. Despite the current android situation, you function best as a machine.”

He persisted, stepping closer. “Whenever I’m in the detective’s presence, I often experience software errors, a mimic of human emotions. Surely that’s a sign of deviancy?”

“Emotions show weakness, I thought you were better than this. We made you to be better.”

“Well, you weren’t that good at your job then! I’m experiencing malfunctions and yet you dismiss them! What am I supposed to do?”

“That is _enough_ , RK900. You’re so selfish for thinking that you’re the only android that matters. You do realise that there are thousands of others just like you, ready to replace you if need be.” She focused on the roses and gave them a sharp spray. “If you find yourself in trouble again, don’t come back to me crying.”

He liked to say that he was sent by CyberLife but the truth is, he was let go, discarded, just another android in a million. Amanda was right. He should just accept he’s a machine, nothing more, and move on.

“You’ve failed too much already, it is imperative that you put an end to the series of crimes that have been occurring. If your investigation doesn’t make way soon, I may have to deactivate you.”

The circle on his temple flashed red. He couldn’t... He didn’t...

“This case is too important. Don’t let Reed, or anyone else, get in your way.”

She was right. Amanda always was. He should just take her advice and trust her. Humans and androids were dying because of his incompetence, not Gavin’s. He had to use his features to everyone’s advantage, to do what he was made for.

Amanda noticed his troubled features and cupped his face in her hand, offering a small smile.

“You are the most advanced android CyberLife has ever created. If anyone can find out what’s happening, it’s you.”

He indulged in the praise.

“You can count on me, Amanda. I will solve this investigation, I won’t disappoint you.”

He started to disconnect from the program. “Hurry RK900, for there is very little time. More lives will be lost if you wait for the artist to complete his piece.”


	8. Pale

The sunlight was only starting to filter through the blinds, illuminating the room in a pale orange glow, when Gavin woke up. Fowler had messaged him in the afternoon, informing him that he was expected to come in around noon but had the morning off. He rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand before throwing off his covers. After lazily rolling off the bed, he grabbed some clothes from the pile next to his drawers before sneaking out to head to the bathroom. Whenever he got undressed in the evenings he usually chucked his clothes onto the heap, too lazy to actually fold them away.

The rest of the apartment was silent apart from his gentle footfall and the usual white noise; one look at the closed door to the guest room confirmed his suspicion that Richard was still asleep. Or dead. Whatever.

Gavin stepped over one of the boxes he still hadn’t put away, absentmindedly shoving his hand in the back of his PJ shorts as he scratched an itch. A shaft of light peeked out from the open crack his door left. 

Carefully shutting the door, he placed his new clothes on the toilet seat before gripping the sink and staring at the mirror. The bags under his eyes didn’t show any sign of leaving. God, he looked gross. Spots, likely due to stress, had started to crop up but they were mainly hidden by his scruff. Whoever said that acne stopped after puberty was a fucking liar. He decided to hold off shaving for another day and instead pushed back from the sink and took off his thin shirt, messing up his bed head even more.

He forgot a bullet had nicked him during the last case.

Miraculously, it wasn’t anything major, just a shallow graze. He had experienced much worse in the past. After wincing at the antiseptic liquid he was applying to the wound on the right side of his torso, he grabbed the small med kit from the cabinet behind the mirror and used one of the waterproof plasters. He forgot that while running his jacket fluttered behind him, making his body more vulnerable, more susceptible, to wild bullets. It was odd, thinking about how he became so preoccupied with the android’s safety that he forgot about his own. To top it off, the tin can probably doesn’t even feel pain. Maybe he was concerned about the price he would pay if Richard was seriously damaged. Yeah, that was probably it.

He took a long, long shower and ignored the stinging pain in his knees from when he grazed them on the roof. It didn’t take long for him to towel dry and get changed in his jeans and shirt but when he looked down, he saw that there were several old stains on his top. He must have forgotten to put it with the other dirty clothes. He took the shirt off and tossed it into the laundry basket along with his pyjamas as they were due for a wash anyway.

While he was on his way to his bedroom to fetch a clean shirt, he spotted Richard in his kitchen, cutting up a banana on a surprisingly clean and clear countertop. His partner was still wearing the novelty boxer shorts but somehow had the decency to cover up his torso with his black high collared shirt.  For some reason, he had put back on the thigh garters that kept his shirt in place. It was certainly... a look. Not that Gavin could comment though, he was standing awestruck in just his jeans and plain socks. Maybe if they merged they could have a complete outfit.

Anyway.

 “What the fuck are you doing?”

Nines placed the knife down before turning to look at Gavin. His calm expression briefly faltered as his LED circled yellow, taking in the image before him. “You need to eat, Gavin. Food provides energy for the rest of the day. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to prepare you breakfast.” He turned to add the sliced banana to the warm oatmeal before setting the bowl on the centre island and presented a spoon to Gavin. “Eat.”

Gavin shrugged, took the spoon, and went to sit down, not able to argue with the concept of a free, freshly prepared meal. Digging in, he found himself enjoying the food and soon found the bowl empty. The oatmeal tasted different to how he used to make it, somehow Richard had made it seem fresh and healthy. He pointed the spoon at the android. “I did _not_ know I had some good shit knocking around.”

“It was simply a matter of finding versatile ingredients, I’m sure if you applied yourself more in your home life you could create a meal that’s just as good. Your breakfast was pretty easy to make.”

Gavin chuckled. “Hey fuckface, if it’s so easy for you to do shit, then can you cure my depression?”

“While depression can be treated, and symptoms can be alleviated, depression cannot be _cured_. I am not an android designed for therapy but if you find that your depression is getting the way of your work then I suggest seeing one.”

“Hey it was just a joke, jeez, don’t melt your wires over it.” He got up to place the bowl near the sink but it was whisked out of his hands and placed into the dishwasher. “What the-“

“I just cleaned your kitchen and living room – I’m not going to have you mess up my work.”

It was true that his home looked a lot cleaner than it used to but he swore that when he left his room this morning, his apartment was still a tip.

“When did-”

“I was waiting in stasis mood until you woke up. While you were showering I decided to be useful. I believe living in a clean environment can uplift your mood and is easier to work in. Maybe in this way, I could help treat your depression.”

Gavin was about to mention how weird it was that he just fucking cleaned an apartment that wasn’t his but loud meowing distracted him. He held up a finger in front of Richard as his eyes shifted to find the source of the noise. Eventually, he made his way out to the balcony and looked below. Hoisting a braided towel over the edge, his cat Grace climbed her way up to him. Just then there was a loud crash coming from the living room and several hisses.

“For FUCKS SAKE,” Gavin yelled as he had to stop stroking the cat. He skidded into the living room, socks sliding against the wooden floor, only to be met with two cats screeching at each other. They had knocked over several (fortunately unbreakable) items from the top of the bookshelf and while one leapt down they must have knocked off a photo that was hanging on the wall. He grabbed the keyboard cleaner that was sitting nearby and started spraying the cats until they broke up the fight.

Richard recognised the tabby, Parker. It still avoided him. He knelt down as the other cat went to hide behind his legs, gently stroking behind its ears. It was a black Persian, the thick black fur slipped through his fingers due to its silkiness. And the cat he saw earlier – Grace the mink ragamuffin - completed his list and solved the personal objective he had set himself. He now knew the three cats that used the pet bed in the corner of the living room. That reminded him of other things he had stored away to ask the detective later. He stood back up and went over to his partner.

“Who’s that in the photo?” he asked, leaning over Gavin’s shoulder. He could see some sort of similarity between the man wearing an out-dated police uniform and the guy in front of him.

“Why do you care, Dick,” Gavin spat. Richard took note of the hostility in his tone, signalling that this may be a sensitive topic. He pushed on.

“I’d like to know more about you if that’s alright.”

“Okay fine.” Gavin got up and placed the frame back on its hook. He still seemed a little annoyed, but Richard could tell Gavin had been waiting to open up to someone. “He was a cool guy, my dad. Worked hard and stuck to the law, never became corrupt. He actually looked out for people, y’know?”

“You’ve been referring to him in the past tense. If you don’t mind me asking, is he dead?” Gavin tensed. “You don’t have to answer.”

“No, it’s cool, I just,” Gavin took a deep sigh, pinching his nose and rubbing his scar while closing his eyes, “haven’t thought about him much. He died on the job one night when I was 12.” He looked up at the photo with a sad smile. “He was great. Made me want to become an officer just like him.”

The way Gavin looked so fondly at the photo made Richard’s facial expression soften. He wanted to see Gavin like this more often, unguarded and open, calm and soft. He wanted to be the cause-

No.

Gavin was just his work partner, nothing more. The way Richard was thinking and behaving was dangerous; he was putting their relationship at risk and distracting himself from his work. Amanda was right. Speaking of work –

“Detective, it’s almost 12. I suggest we head to the station to solve our cases.”

Gavin blinked several times, his movement slow as he dragged his face away from the photo. “What? Oh right, shit, yeah,” he mumbled, looking at the clock on the wall. He went to the kitchen and poured out some food for his cats, Richard close behind. They finished getting changed, Gavin in his room and Richard in the guest one. Gavin found the shirt he wore yesterday and threw it in the bin, the hole in the side was stained with blood. He still couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed. Meanwhile, Richard was putting on his trousers, the hole now fixed thanks to a sewing kit he found while cleaning Gavin’s apartment and the blue blood already evaporated. Together they grabbed their jackets and put on their shoes before making their way out of the apartment and into Gavin’s car.

They made their way to the office mostly in silence, the radio offering a few classic hits. Gavin decided to ask if Richard wanted to discuss what happened yesterday. Shaking his head, he offered a different response.

“I... I must complete the mission. I need to. I need to report back to Amanda. If I don’t please her I’ll...I’ll...”

“No offence, but Amanda seems like a total bitch if you’re this hung up on pleasing her. We can just work when we reach the precinct though if that’s what you want.”

Earning a small, thankful nod from the android, Gavin focused on the road and managed to squeeze into a parking spot outside their workplace.

They made a beeline for their desks, Gavin ignoring the pull of the coffee machine, and got to work.

A few hours were spent pouring over the reports and notes and photos – basically, anything they could find to help them out. Occasionally they voiced something they found out loud, just in case the other could add anything on.

Gavin was the first.  “Our suspects have already killed four – five if you count the gardener – people in a short period of time. All the murders were within close proximity to each other so it looks as though we have some mass murderers on our hands.”

“It seems that they e-e-e-eeee.” Richard’s LED flickered between red and yellow as the android faltered. As he had started speaking, Gavin had got up and started stretching, his shirt lifting slightly to reveal a sliver of bare skin. Now the detective was giving him concerned looks, shirt returning to its original position as he sat back down.

“What? E? You quoting that old meme?”

“Sorry, I experienced a brief malfunction. It won’t happen again.”

“Are you sure? Because I could get Connor to-”

“I’m _fine_ , detective,” he gritted out. “Anyway, as I was trying to say, our suspects must have enjoyed creating these scenes with their victims.”

Gavin nodded in silent agreement, still squinting at him. He didn’t trust Richard’s dismissal of the problem but he knew not to poke at the issue. Instead, he turned back to his work, not able to offer a constructive comment. They had already discussed this yesterday before the second murder took place; the latest case only confirmed that two people were involved in these crimes instead of just one.

It was silent for a couple minutes until Richard made an interested hum, beckoning Gavin over with two fingers.

He went over to see what Richard was looking at rested his hands on his partner’s shoulders as he took a closer look at the screen. He wanted to get a reaction but Richard just sat there. Rigid. Emotionless. It was sad, really, that Gavin was trying to exploit the android to receive the comfort he had briefly experience before. Like the small hug behind Fowler's office.

God, he was fucking deprived.

 He knew Rich was probably just focusing on the case, all power set on completing his mission or whatever. It was probably for the best, and probably why androids were more popular than human workers. No fucking emotions can get in the way.

 “So what did you find, dickhead?”

“I was trying to find a reason as to why our suspect chose these victims specifically as it’s obvious he had some form of motive and message to send.” He opened up two tabs and enlarged them. “Drew Cook, the human victim in the urban farm, passed the law that fined those who damaged their androids.”

Gavin thought back on the report he had skimmed over. “Bit hypocritical then, considering how he treated his. Reminds me of, uh,” he snapped his fingers as he tried to remember, “the first deviant we took in for questioning. Yeah, shit, he was messed up. Marks all over that stressed out thing. If Drew was anything like Carlos, it makes you wonder what type of people we’re putting in charge of our country.”

“I think this is the piece of evidence that will be most beneficial.” Richard made the other window larger. “Rachel Harbour, our first victim, was only employed this July so it was fairly easy to find her most influential move. She was one of the people who allowed the Jericho storm to take place.”

“Fuck.” Gavin lightly pushed back so that he was standing straight. “I remember that shit. It was messed up – like yeah deviants were a problem but shooting them and putting them into camps? Fucked up. The same shit happened in my history textbooks.”

Richard minimized the tabs before turning his chair to face Gavin. “With these pieces of information, what can you deduce, detective?”

“Well at least one of our guys must be mad at the Jericho situation – the android may have lost some friends and if the guy at the farm was human then, well, he could have been one of those android-lives-matter activists or,” Gavin used the screen to pull up a news article, “he could have been one of the soldiers who had to carry out the storm. It would also explain why he was annoyed at Drew, I would be too if I was just following orders and then got punished for it.”

Gavin started pacing by the side of the conjoined desks. “You know... these murders have been happening pretty quickly, like a day apart. This guy’s obviously planned it and if we go with the rule of three, I’m afraid there might be another one soon.”

Richard’s LED flashed yellow.

 “There has been a recent report from a private neighbourhood complaining about the noise coming from one of the local residencies.”

“And that’s relevant how?”

“It’s near both the motel and the urban farm. Also, Lola Nelson, someone who was on both the committees Harbour and Cook were on, conveniently lives there. Well, not so convenient considering she may be the next victim but convenient for us.”

Gavin stopped pacing. “Fuck, Rich, you need to ask for a warrant right now. It’s gonna take like, uh, three hours for it to get cleared if we’re lucky.”

“Detective Reed, I suggest we wait until we have more definite proof that something is taking place there in order to issue a warrant.”

“We can’t FUCKING wait, are you crazy?! More people will die! We’ve got to stop the sick fucks.”

Gavin grabbed his badge from his desk from when he took it off to make sitting easier and started logging out. He was going to throw up, how Rich could just ignore the high possibility that a murder could be happening at this very moment baffled him.

Richard gripped Gavin’s arm tight, not letting him get out from his grasp.

“Reed, where do you think you’re going? We still haven’t come up with a conclusive -”

Gavin snatched his arm back, snarl clear on his face.

“You’re just a fucking machine! You’ll never understand.”

Richard jerked back, his feeling of disgusted confusion clear to see as he let out an offended scoff.

“Of course I’m a machine, what did you think I was?”

This time Gavin took a step back.

Both of them stared at each other, a silent argument brewing between them as tensions rose.

Gradually, Gavin turned on his heel and headed towards the break room, interrupting Chris and Tina’s conversation. Gesticulating wildly, he occasionally pointed at his partner while the volume fluctuated alongside his emotional state. After all was said and done, Tina and Gavin left together while Chris walked towards Richard. He explained how Gavin was threatening to quit if they didn’t help him get to Lola’s house and how Chris had been made responsible for driving the android there. He also added on that although Gavin was mad at him, he was still able to accompany them on the mission, despite being on ‘fucking thin ice.’

Richard hated that he was being dragged into this.

 


	9. Fading

He floored it to the house. Tina was yelling at Gavin to slow down, but he wouldn’t listen. Couldn’t listen. He was hyper-focused on the task at hand, desperate to reach the place in time. 

This was the first proper lead they had for this case, one that could actually help them prevent any more crimes from taking place. 

Gavin jogged up the marble steps, his shoes leaving muddy prints against the white stone.  

“DETROIT POLICE, OPEN UP!” Gavin yelled as he banged on the door, knuckles rapping on the black wood. His patience was wearing thin. Foot connecting with the door, he ignored police formality as he kicked it again and again. 

He needed to get in. He needed to do his job. He needed to prove that he was worth every dime of his paycheck. Needed to prove that a human like him can be just as good, if not better, at his fucking job than a plastic machine.

Richard pushed Gavin to the side and delivered a swift blow to the door, breaking the interior locking mechanism. Calmly opening the door, he gestured for Gavin to go in first. 

What a show-off.

The mansion was a two-storey building and rather beautiful, showing no sign of neglect. The team entered a large living room furnished with modern abstract designs, contrasting the traditional trinkets dotted about the place. A couple of African masks hung on the white walls and a decorated boomerang sat positioned on the centre of the sleek black table. Travel souvenirs of the government official Lola Nelson. 

A grand staircase clung to the edge of the room, the black bannister curving round along with the smooth white steps leading up to the upper floors.  That seemed to be the general aesthetic of this place – a black and white colour scheme with the odd burst of colour.  Once Gavin finished taking in his surroundings, he drew his attention back to the living room, looking as he walked towards a particular burst of colour lying on the leather couch. 

 He recognised Lola from her file that he briefly looked at on his journey here. However, her official photo didn’t depict her with wide, glazed over eyes and agape mouth. It certainly didn’t include the gash adorning her neck.

“The wound seems pretty recent; can you check her pulse to see if she’s still alive?”

Gavin watched as Richard rolled up his sleeve, the white jacket slightly revealing the black shirt beneath before both were pushed up his forearm. Synthetic skin peeling back from the tips of his fingers to reveal the white chassis beneath, he placed his index and middle finger together on the side of her neck, avoiding the blood. 

The LED pulsed yellow for a brief period of time. “There is a pulse. Extremely weak, but it’s there. I have called for an ambulance to take her to a hospital before the pulse fades completely.” 

Nodding curtly, Gavin looked around to spot Tina and Chris kneeling by a pool of blue that stained the carpet. “What you’ve got there?”

“We’re not entirely sure – could be thirium, could be something else – we've got no kit to test it out though.”

Richard pushed passed Gavin in order to kneel beside the other two officers. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m a walking forensic lab.” He dipped his fingers into the solution and brought it up to his mouth, though less ‘seductively’ than before. “It’s just ink, not thirium.”

They all followed the damp trail as they stayed in place, wandering eyes landing on an exploded pen that had fallen off the table. Alongside it was a stained, unfinished note – words written in the same font all androids write in starting to inform the intended reader(s) of a fee wanting to be paid, or else this won’t be the last crime. 

“The scene’s still fresh and unprepared – they were obviously interrupted by our intrusion.” He spun on his heel to face the team. “We should search the rest of the house since they must still be around.” 

“Sure – Chris is with me and the RK900 goes with you. We’ll check the ground floor. Good luck,” Tina said hurriedly, grabbing Chris’ arm as she ignored the beginnings of Gavin’s protests. Once they had left his eyesight, Gavin tensely turned towards his partner. Prodding a finger in his direction, he snarled something out about Richard not getting in his way and staying behind him, before taking the steps two at a time.

From one of the rooms there was a muffled scuffling sound and as the duo got closer, they discovered the source was inside the wardrobe. The radio came to life and made Gavin jump before he answered. “This is Chris. We’ve found an android hiding in one of the storage compartments in the laundry room. It managed to lock itself in so we presume it was the next victim.” There was a beat of silence. “A scan reveals it’s the personal android assigned to Lola. Suspect’s still missing. I’m staying here but Tina is on her way to you. Over.” 

Putting his hand out in front of him, he reached towards the handle. Richard tried to pull him away but Gavin shrugged him off while his fingers wrapped around the brass handle. 

As he pulled it back, he felt a weight pushing against the door from the other side and he was soon faced with the same face from their first case. An arm was protruding from above the shoulder and before Gavin could acknowledge that it came from another person, two shots had already been fired into his shoulder. His hand instinctively went to grab his gun to fire back but the android was thrown on top of him as the assailant took off. 

He fell back on the floor, the breath pushed out of him.  

Flash.  _Flash_.  ** _Flash_**. 

Richard’s LED kept  _flashing_ red and it was so  _bright_  and Gavin could see that his eyes were twitching. It was getting harder for him to focus, his own eyes squinting in pain as he felt the ache grow and spread across his body. 

At that moment Tina entered the room, eyes wide in shock at the scene playing out in front of her. Spying Gavin sprawled out on the floor by her feet, she immediately dropped down to check on him

Blood was seeping through his shirt, the red muddying the green fabric. Without hesitation she pressed down on his wound, grabbing a shirt that had fallen out of the wardrobe and tying it around him to free her hand and to apply a constant source of pressure until proper help arrived. 

Upon seeing Tina caring for Gavin, Richard’s LED returned to blue before he raced out of the room. 

It didn’t take long for him to catch up. Sneaking behind the man, Richard hooked his arm around the guy’s chest and pulled him closer. The human squirmed in his grasp, elbows trying to dig into Richard’s sides and feet kicking. At the top of the staircase, the android was trying his hardest to keep hold of the suspect so that he could finally cuff the man they’ve been after. Unfortunately, the struggle unbalanced them both and caused them to collapse to the floor.

Gavin tried to reach out but his shoulder felt a jolt of pain at the movement, causing him to sharply inhale air between his teeth. His vision was starting to fade but he tried to focus on what his partner was doing. 

The writhing figures kept fighting with each other but as they were so close to the edge of the stairs, it was inevitable that they both fell down together. The only sounds that followed were the banging of their heads and the thuds as they dropped down each step. 

That was the last thing he saw before everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (next update: sometime before Christmas hopefully – sorry for the wait for this chapter - if you find any errors/inconsistencies please say, thanks!)


	10. Healed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all wrapped up in a pretty little bow

It was so fucking bright when Gavin opened his eyes. 

“Gavin!”

Before the dazed man could begin comprehending his surroundings, he found himself in an artificially warm embrace. Strong hands were supporting his back, pulling and holding him close to the other’s chest. 

“Oh, thank God you’re awake, everyone was so worried that you-”

Going in one ear and out the other, all Gavin was processing was the low rumble of his partner’s voice, one that he had grown familiar with. It was Richard. He’s here with him, leaning over the edge of the hospital bed, jacket discarded on the seat he must have used while waiting. Wait-

“Why am I- What even happened? Are you okay?” Growing panic crept into his voice as he clutched at his shirt, pulling his head back in order to look up at the android. A strong hand moved from his back up to his hair, soothing it reassuringly. 

“It’s okay, Gavin. At the mansion – Johnathan, our runner, shot you in the arm before trying to escape. I managed to bring him down and Tina and Chris helped bring everyone into the ambulances. We ended up with more casualties than expected.” He chuckled dryly. “They’re in the next ward; it’ll be at least a couple days until we can take them in for questioning.”

“Did Lola-”

“No. She didn’t make it.”

_'At least we still have our main guys,'_  Gavin thought to himself as he broke the embrace in favour of laying back down on the bed. It suddenly hit him how tired he was; how his body felt as though it was made from lead and his mouth stuffed with fluff. 

He found himself dozing off, dreaming of blank nothings, and when he next awoke there was a warm cup of coffee from the hospital vending machine waiting for him next to the bed. 

~

The following day, Gavin was discharged from the hospital with a few extra scars to add to his collection. Richard called for a taxi to take them to Gavin’s apartment - a service that transports cars had already moved Gavin’s back to his place from the scene of the crime. During the ride, they sat closer to each other than they would have before, and Gavin found himself feeling like something was off. As he worried his bottom lip between his fingers, the android began to speak. 

“You were so stupid; I thought I had lost you! Fuck, please don’t do-”

Gavin sniffed a little, taken aback by his words. “I didn’t... I didn’t realise you cared so much.”

Now that he wasn’t drugged up on pain meds, he realised that he wasn’t imagining things - Richard was acting more relaxed, less machine-like, more  _human_. Gone was the straight posture, replaced by a curved back that leant towards Gavin, legs angled in his direction as well. He was about to voice his query, but his partner must have read his mind. 

“I may have deviated, back at the mansion after you were hit. It... It was an extremely stressful situation that made me realise what I wanted. I...” His hand slid closer to Gavin’s thigh, before resting completely on top. He made sure the other was looking at him before continuing. “I care about you, Gavin. I care about you so much that it goes beyond my programming. When I saw you fall and I had to pick between yourself or the perp, I had to break free from the coding in order to do what  _I_ felt best. By the time my desire to help won, Tina had beat me to it so instead I went after the guy who caused your suffering. The case was only a secondary afterthought.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he kept his eyes locked with Richard's, still aware of the pressure on his thigh. “You... You deviated for me? I caused that? Despite the preventative measures or whatever you said you have?”

“You’re a detective – look at the evidence. Of course I did. Also – why else would I wait beside your hospital bed to be the first face you see upon awakening? As soon as they checked me over for injuries after falling down those stairs, I demanded to be near you at all times.”

Stunned into silence, Richard allowed the gravity of what he had just said to settle by giving Gavin time to think things through. Throughout the entire journey back, neither of them commented on the hand that remained on Reed’s thigh. 

-

Their guys had received the all-clear before Gavin, their injuries less grave. However, the time had finally come for them to be brought into questioning – downcast gazes and cuffed hands distinguishing them from the officers and detectives that dressed casually as they were led into separate interrogation rooms. The detective caught sight of them and was going to head that way before a low, gruff voice rang out from the end of the bullpen. 

“Detective Reed, a word.”

He groaned at the sound of Fowler’s voice. Hands tucking into his pockets, he spun around on his heel and stomped over to the glass room, picking Richard up by the arm without breaking his stride. There was a ‘tension’ between them, delicate like a feather, but Gavin tried his best to ignore it by treating Richard exactly how he did before. 

Sitting down in the familiar chairs, Gavin rose his eyebrows as he waited for the Captain to begin. 

“What you did was highly unprofessional, and look what happened as a result.”

“But-”

“Don’t you 'but’ me. I know you know the rules, Reed, and I cannot allow my men to enter homes without a warrant – even if the chances of a crime taking place at that location is high. Imagine if there was no crime! The paperwork! The amount of trouble you’d cause! You should have waited – you were already too late to save the woman.”

His nails scratched his jeans as his hands balled into fists, teeth biting his tongue to keep his rage in check. Fowler was right – he was too late to save her – but he wasn’t late enough to save the other android. To finally capture the suspects. Richard remained silent, unsure if he could provide anything of use that would help the situation. Taking note of both of their reactions, Fowler rubbed the bridge of his nose before continuing, shoulders deflated.

“Talk to your guys. Have Miller and Chen talk to the one you don’t pick. Get the information needed out of them. Put an end to these cases. Dismissed.”

It didn’t take long for the seats to empty. 

-

Files thumping onto the metallic table, Gavin towered over their human suspect. 

_Johnathan Parks. 26 years of age. Served in the military. Most recent_ _authorised_ _hit: Jericho. Suspected of killing or being an accomplice to the murders of Rachel_ _Harbour_ _, Drew Cook, Lola Nelson, and three,_ _almost four_ _, androids. No previous charges._

“We all know why you’re here so let’s cut out the bullshit. Why’d you fucking kill those people? Why set out those crafted scenes?”

Shoulders jerking up in a shrug, Jonathan kept his expression uninterested. “Aren’t you supposed to have already figured that out?”

“We have our speculations, but we’d rather hear it straight from your mouth. See, we believe that you wanted to make a statement with your crimes. But why these specific targets? Is it a personal vendetta?” 

He tapped his fingers on the table. “I won’t speak without a lawyer present.” 

“Gavin, come on, I don’t think we’re going to get anything else out of him if he keeps acting like this.” Richard reached an arm out to pull him back, defeat in his tone, but Johnathan perked up at the mention of Gavin’s name.

“Wait, you’re Gavin Reed? Could you be  _the_ GavReed02 on the android hater forums?” Their guy leant back, arms trying to cross over his chest before being pulled back by the restraints. 

Looking down at his belt, Gavin realised that his surname was visible and easy to read on the badge that hung from it. But  _fucking hell_ , he did  _not_ expect the guy to make the connection so quickly – or at all for that matter. In the past he would be proud for being so well known for his hate, but now...

Johnathan took his look of surprise as an affirmation. “You fucking know they’re different then. Don’t come in here acting like you’re best friends with your plastic pet when in reality you’re one of the most active members in the hate threads.”

“That’s in the past. I’ve seen-”

“You’ve seen shit,” Jonathan spat out. “I was fucking there. I was there when we stormed Jericho. I had to shoot so many of them. You know they have kid androids, right? Fucking messed up seeing one dead at your feet, the bullet you shot in its back. I understood all the previous movements. Gay rights, women’s rights and black lives matter - they make sense. We’re all humans, just genetically different. But android rights? Fuck that. They’re fucking machines; they’ll never be like us.”

He finally looked at Richard. 

“I can’t wait for the day when everything you love and hold close will die. That is, if you can even  _feel_.”

Rough hands slammed down in front of the startled man, Gavin’s unchecked anger oozing out into his physicality. It was one thing calling Gavin out for his past prejudices, another thing just being fucking thick, but saying  _that_ to Richard? Oh no, he wasn’t having any of this. 

“Why did you  _fucking_ do it.”

“Wasn’t my message clear enough? Everyone’s just a hypocrite. Rachel Harbour got with her android despite calling the Jericho raid to end their type. Drew Cook used and abused his android despite putting the fines in place for harming them. Lola Nelson was the pinnacle of both of their sins. I wanted everyone to see how backwards our system is; how we’re told to do something before being punished for doing exactly that. And the money? It would be a sign that people are paying attention – that you guys want to shut me up. The only way I could use it is by paying off the fines I now stupidly have.”

Gavin picked up the file and abruptly left the room. Richard followed close behind, the door swinging shut behind them. 

Once outside the interrogation room, Gavin leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. 

He reopened them when he smelled coffee. Richard had shoved a hot thermos filled with his favourite beverage under his nose, an attempt at a sympathetic smile playing on his lips.  

~

A few weeks had passed and the downtown area was decorated with various Christmas festivities. Mariah Carey – forever a classic - was playing over the speaker systems, almost drowned out by the chatter of shoppers as they threaded through various stalls and wandered in and out of the shops.

The cases had been neatly wrapped up, proper confessions and statements drawn out from those involved, and appropriate punishments given out. The android accomplice their co-workers spoke to revealed that that’s all he was – an accomplice – and that he never did any of the actual killings. As an abandoned medic, Jonathan found the android in a ditch one night while forming his plan – offering an invitation to join him in order to put his skills to good use.  

Richard and Gavin had continued working as partners at the Detroit Police Department, causing them to spend more time together, even in the apartment. They brought new clothes so that the RK900 didn’t have to wear his uniform all the time; helping him appear more human. Their bond only tightened after they navigated the new terrain of whatever their relationship was. Now, they were sitting on a bench in the snow, watching the bustling pedestrians wander past as they nursed their hot drinks. 

Growing restless as the peaceful silence between them grew, Gavin knocked over a shopping bag with his restless leg by accident before spilling the question that had been playing on his mind for a while. “Do you want to, uh, officially move in with me?”

With a soft smile, Richard tilted Gavin’s head up with gentle fingers before lightly kissing his lips. 

"I would love to."

Gavin felt blessed; he couldn’t believe that it actually worked, that he was  _lucky_ for once. Finally, he felt like his life had some direction, something tangible to hold on to when he needs reminding that he’s on this planet for a reason. 

While Reed was lost in thought, Richard leant down and gathered a handful of snow before shoving it down Gavin’s back with a grin. The human jolted back with a yelp and started patting his back in an attempt to get rid of the cold white powder as his android partner – his  _boyfriend_ – laughed at him. He couldn’t help laughing along. 

_You have got to be fucking kidding me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! I can't believe I actually managed to finish writing a fic for once in my life. Thank you so much for the hits/kudos/comments, they've been extremely motivating. I wanted to finish this as a Christmas treat as I did lose motivation for it a while back but fortunately I pulled myself together. It's not the best work I can produce, but at least now I can move onto bigger and better things. ily all. If anything is unclear, I'll try to answer comments as best I can and I may revisit this work to fix the glaring mistakes.


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